1. Field
The present disclosure relates generally to electronics, and more specifically to a processor.
2. Background
Processors are widely used for various purposes such as computing, communication, networking, etc. A processor may be a general-purpose processor such as a central processing unit (CPU) or a specialized processor such as a digital signal processor (DSP) or a graphics processing unit (GPU). A general-purpose processor may support a generic set of instructions and generic functions, which may be used by applications of various types. A general-purpose processor may be inefficient for certain applications with specific processing requirements. In contrast, a specialized processor may support a limited set of instructions and specialized functions, which may be customized for specific applications. This allows the specialized processor to efficiently support the applications for which it is designed. However, the range of applications supported by the specialized processor may be limited.
A device such as a cellular phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), or a laptop computer may support applications of various types. It is desirable to execute these applications as efficiently as possible and with as little hardware as possible in order to reduce cost, power, etc.